{"id":9286,"date":"2019-03-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plainenglish.com\/?post_type=lessons&p=9286"},"modified":"2024-03-18T14:42:29","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T19:42:29","slug":"america-loves-alex-trebek","status":"publish","type":"lessons","link":"https:\/\/plainenglish.com\/lessons\/america-loves-alex-trebek\/","title":{"rendered":"Why America loves Alex Trebek, host of quiz show Jeopardy!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since 1984, this Canadian-American has hosted over 7,000 episodes of the quiz show Jeopardy!<\/p>\n

If you answered, \u201cWho is Alex Trebek?\u201d then you know what today\u2019s episode is going to be about. If you\u2019re a little confused right now\u2014that\u2019s okay, I\u2019ll explain in a little bit.<\/p>\n

Hi again, this is Jeff, JR is the producer. And it\u2019s time for my favorite part of the week, once again. That would be when I get to sit down here, turn on my mixing board, turn on my digital recorder, plug in like 27 cables, and talk to all of you\u2014the best audience in the world. It really is my favorite time of the week. If you\u2019re new to the show, this is Plain English, the best podcast for learning English through current events. Today is episode 141 for Thursday, March 28, 2019. You can find the full transcript of today\u2019s program at PlainEnglish.com\/141. As always, our transcripts include instant translations from English to Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, French and Chinese.<\/p>\n

In addition to the transcripts, we have some additional resources for our email subscribers. Anyone on the email list gets a summary of every episode, an explanation of one additional word or phrase from the episode, and links to English articles about the main topic. So if you really like the topic on one episode, you can click the links and read more about it. The best thing about it is it\u2019s free. Just go to PlainEnglish.com\/mail<\/a> , enter your details, and you\u2019ll be signed up. PlainEnglish.com\/mail<\/a> .<\/p>\n

You can also send me a WhatsApp. I send out a message to my WhatsApp contacts every so often. Sometimes it\u2019s a relevant video clip about an episode, or just a question. It\u2019s just an additional fun way to stay in touch with so many of you. If you use WhatsApp, just send me a message to +1 312 967 8757<\/a> .<\/p>\n

\n

Jeopardy! host keeps us company each weeknight<\/h3>\n

Every Monday through Friday for the last 35 years, Alex Trebek keeps millions of Americans company around dinner-time. He is the host of a quiz show called Jeopardy! A lot has changed in the world since September 17, 1984, but through it all, Alex Trebek has been a steady voice in our living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens.<\/p>\n

Why are we talking about Alex Trebek and Jeopardy! today? Unfortunately, the 78-year-old game show host announced in a video to his viewers that he has stage-four pancreatic cancer. Fans around the country are devastated to know that this one mainstay of evening time in America may not be with us forever, after all. Alex\u2014and everyone calls him Alex, so I will here too\u2014has been the host of Jeopardy! ever since this version of the show premiered in 1984. He has hosted over 7,000 shows.<\/p>\n

In most parts of the United States, Jeopardy! comes on at 7:00 in the evening, usually after the national news on ABC. The catchy theme song, the announcer\u2019s voice at the show\u2019s opening, Alex Trebek\u2019s steady voice, and even the show\u2019s sound effects have been our companions as we make dinner or settle down for the evening.<\/p>\n

It is hard to overstate what a big part of American life this show has become. The theme song is practically synonymous with thinking up the answer to a hard question. The show almost represents the wholesomeness of family life. Some people would watch it religiously: every night, they\u2019d make sure to put Jeopardy! on and watch all the clues. My grandmother was like that. Other people would have it on in the background as they prepare dinner or do the dishes, calling out the responses before the contestants. Of course, millions of Americans think they\u2019re good enough to be on the show, even if only a couple hundred are in any given year. \u201cYou should be on Jeopardy!\u201d is a great compliment to give someone who knows a lot of trivia.<\/p>\n

Because it\u2019s such a ritual, and such a rock in daily life, people notice the slightest change to the show\u2019s rules or format. Alex sent shockwaves through the nation when he shaved his mustache. Alex is someone people like and trust. He seems timeless; he doesn\u2019t seem to age\u2014he always seems to be this grandfatherly authority figure that\u2019s just always there.<\/p>\n

By the way, here\u2019s how Jeopardy! goes. There are two rounds of 30 clues each, followed by a final question to decide the winner. The clues are arranged in categories. The categories might be \u201cchemistry\u201d or \u201cmovies\u201d or \u201cFrench phrases\u201d or \u201cgeography\u201d, things like that. But here\u2019s the tricky thing about Jeopardy! The clues are statements and the contestants have to respond by asking a question that the clue answers. The clues are written in a way that there is really only one correct response. For example, the answer given on the screen might be: \u201cThis is Africa\u2019s longest river.\u201d Then, the contestants would have to answer, \u201cWhat is the Nile River?\u201d Got it? The contestants have to form a question that the clue answers. The clue was, \u201cThis is Africa\u2019s longest river.\u201d The only question that could correspond to this answer is, \u201cWhat is the Nile River?\u201d so that is the correct response. Let\u2019s try another one. Imagine the clue is, \u201cThis technology CEO demonstrated his company\u2019s new touch-screen phone in January 2007.\u201d The correct response would be, \u201cWho is Steve Jobs?\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are some characteristics of Alex Trebek, in no particular order. He is always impeccably dressed. He\u2019s prepared for every show. His pronunciation is excellent; he has to know how to say all kinds of difficult words and names of people and places and he never stumbles. He never gets it wrong. Alex Trebek is always nice to the contestants. He tries not to be too hard on people when they get an answer wrong. There\u2019s a brief time for interviews with the contestants and he\u2019s always gracious toward them, asking about them and giving the viewers a little window into their lives. Here\u2019s a big thing. He doesn\u2019t make the show about himself. He has said in interviews that people watch for the clues and the answers, so the most important thing is the content of the show, not the host. He never makes it about himself. He is the authority figure on the show, though. He\u2019s in command of what goes on and he keeps the show moving.<\/p>\n

Alex Trebek has never been the subject of any kind of public scandal. You have never, ever seen his name associated with any type of gossip or controversy; he doesn\u2019t get involved in politics or make any type of controversial statements. That\u2019s something in today\u2019s world, especially in show business.<\/p>\n

In keeping with his preference not to be the topic of gossip or news articles, he released a video announcing his health news himself. He was his usual self\u2014well-dressed, speaking in a clear, even voice, announcing to the world that he has stage four pancreatic cancer. He even cracked a bit of a self-deprecating joke, saying that he has to beat this cancer since he is required by his contract to host Jeopardy! for three more years.<\/p>\n

Alex did take a little time off for treatment, but he\u2019s back recording new episodes of the show. He sent another video out to supporters thanking them for the outpouring of support they showed.<\/p>\n

\n

I remember when I was growing up, we didn\u2019t watch a whole lot of TV, but my mom would put on the local news starting at around 5:00. That would be on in the background for a couple of hours and then we\u2019d go and have dinner, and by 7:00 as we were doing dishes or whatnot, Jeopardy! would be on. I think that\u2019s how a lot of people watched it\u2014going about your business and catching bits and pieces of it most days.<\/p>\n

On the Jeopardy! web site, they have test you can take to see if you might have some talent to be on the show. I took the quiz as I was preparing this episode. There were 30 questions and I got 13 of them right, so less than half. For the record, I have never thought I knew enough to be on the show!<\/p>\n

Hey I wanted to remind you about MosaLingua. And I wanted to tell you about one of the great features. So I\u2019ve mentioned before that they have a huge library of vocabulary for you to learn, six thousand words. But it\u2019s not always good to memorize a word without any context. The great thing about MosaLingua\u2019s vocabulary programs is that they put a word in a real context, kind of like what we do here with the expressions. The reason you remember them is because it came up in the context of a program, so it\u2019s easier to remember. And that\u2019s the way MosaLingua\u2019s vocabulary is like with its MosaLingua Web program. You can learn all about this program by going to PlainEnglish.com\/learn<\/a> .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alex Trebek, who has hosted over 7,000 episodes of the quiz show Jeopardy!, announced in a video that he has stage-four pancreatic cancer. Since the show debuted in 1984, Trebek and the show Jeopardy! have become fixtures of dinnertime in America. He is impeccably dressed, well-prepared, always generous toward contestants, and he keeps the focus on the clues and the contestants”\u201dnot on himself. He has become a trusted, grandfatherly authority figure over the years. Plus, learn the English phrase “to be in command.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"lesson_category":[27],"lesson_number":[322],"terminology_tag":[],"content_tag":[2416],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy America loves Alex Trebek, host of quiz show Jeopardy! - Plain English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/plainenglish.com\/lessons\/america-loves-alex-trebek\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why America loves Alex Trebek, host of quiz show Jeopardy! - Plain English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alex Trebek, who has hosted over 7,000 episodes of the quiz show Jeopardy!, announced in a video that he has stage-four pancreatic cancer. 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